SeparateOffice

Nägeli, Karl Wilhelm Von

2005-04-05T23:53:00.000-07:00

Nägeli received his earliest training from the German nature-philosopher Lorenz Oken and later studied botany under Augustin Pyrame de Candolle at the University of Geneva. He continued his botanical studies under Matthias Jakob Schleiden at the University of Jena and began

Ligand

2005-04-05T21:07:00.000-07:00

In chemistry, any atom or molecule attached to a central atom, usually a metallic element, in a coordination or complex compound. The atoms and molecules used as ligands are almost always those that are capable of functioning as the electron-pair donor in the electron-pair bond (a coordinate covalent bond) formed with the metal atom. Examples of common ligands are the

Decroly, Ovide

2005-04-04T15:01:00.000-07:00

Belgian pioneer in the education of handicapped and normal children. He was a physician who became involved in a school for abnormal children and consequently became interested in education. One outcome of this interest was his establishment in 1901 of the Institute for Abnormal Children in Uccle, Belg., a school that provided a homelike

Apurímac River

2005-04-03T06:25:00.000-07:00

Spanish Río Apurímac, river in southern Peru. Owing to its lengthy Andean tributaries, it is the farthermost source of the Amazon River. Arising at roughly 17,000 feet (5,200 m) from the snowmelts of Mount Mismi in Arequipa departamento, Peru, it flows northwest through the Andes, descending to less than 860 feet (260 m) to join the Urubamba and form the Ucayali River. For most of its 430-mile (700-kilometre) length, it flows

China, Confucianism

2005-04-02T10:17:00.000-08:00

Confucianism was perceived by the Mongols as a Chinese religion, and it had mixed fortunes under their rule. The teachings of the Neo-Confucian school of Chu Hsi from the Sung period were introduced to the Mongol court at Chung-tu in the late 1230s but were confined to limited circles there and in North China. Confucian scholars enjoyed the benefits extended to the clergy

Rub' Al-khali

2005-04-01T00:59:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Ar-Rab' al-Khali (Arabic: “Empty Quarter”) vast desert in the southern Arabian Peninsula, covering about 250,000 square miles (650,000 square km) in a structural basin lying mainly in southeastern Saudi Arabia, with lesser portions in Yemen, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. It is the largest area of continuous sand in the world. It occupies more than one-quarter of Saudi Arabia. The topography is varied. In the west the elevation

Pabst, G.w.

2005-03-31T18:00:00.000-08:00

In full Georg Wilhelm Pabst German film director whose films were among the most artistically successful of the 1920s. Pabst's films are marked by social and political concerns, deep psychological insight, memorable female protagonists, and human conflicts with culture and society. He is also noted for

Yogurt

2005-03-31T13:16:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Yoghurt, Yourt, or Yoghourt, semifluid fermented milk food having a smooth texture and mildly sour flavour because of its lactic acid content. Yogurt may be made from the milk of cows, sheep, goats, or water buffalo. Cow's milk is used in the United States and north-central Europe; sheep's and goat's milk are preferred in Turkey and southeastern Europe; milk from the water buffalo is most commonly used

Refractory

2005-03-30T14:51:00.000-08:00

Any material that has an unusually high melting point and that maintains its structural properties at very high temperatures. Composed principally of ceramics, refractories are employed in great quantities in the metallurgical, glassmaking, and ceramics industries, where they are formed into a variety of shapes to line the interiors of furnaces, kilns, and other

Jackson, Howell E.

2005-03-30T14:40:00.000-08:00

Jackson practiced law in the towns of Jackson and Memphis, Tenn., until the outbreak of the American Civil War, during which he served the Confederacy as a receiver of sequestered property. He gained prominence in his practice after the war and in 1880 was

Algae, Diagnostic features

2005-03-29T23:33:00.000-08:00

The classification of algae into taxonomic groups is based upon the same rules as for the classification of plants. The organization of groups above the order level has changed substantially since 1960. Research using electron microscopes has demonstrated new and important features of the flagellar apparatus, cell division process, and organelle structure and

Robert, Hubert

2005-03-28T20:23:00.000-08:00

Robert went to Rome (1754), was elected to the French Academy there, and became a friend and associate of the renowned etcher of architectural subjects Giambattista Piranesi. In 1759 he joined Abbé

Socrates, Xenophon

2005-03-27T15:42:00.000-08:00

Among the compositions of Xenophon, the one that gives the fullest portrait of Socrates is Memorabilia. The first two chapters of Book I of this work are especially important, because they explicitly undertake a refutation of the charges made against Socrates at his trial; they are therefore a valuable supplement to Xenophon's Apology, which is devoted entirely

Chandrapur

2005-03-26T10:00:00.000-08:00

Located on major rail and road routes,

Devawongse Varoprakar, Prince

2005-03-25T08:49:00.000-08:00

The 42nd child of King Mongkut, Devawongse was the younger half brother of King Chulalongkorn. After only a smattering of formal Thai and English education in schools his half brother organized in the early 1870s, he began his

Tso Chuan

2005-03-25T07:06:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Zuo Zhuan, ancient commentary on the Ch'un-ch'iu, and the first sustained narrative work in Chinese literature. The Ch'un-ch'iu, the first Chinese chronological history, chronicles events during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC) of China's history. The Tso chuan is a detailed commentary on this work and provides extensive narrative accounts and ample background materials concerning

Vacancy

2005-03-24T16:51:00.000-08:00

In crystallography, absence of an atom or molecule from a point that it would normally occupy in a crystal. Such an imperfection (crystal defect) in the regular spacing of atoms changes the electrical and optical properties of the crystal. The theory of colour centres holds that vacancies give colour to many solids. Vacancies can be created by mechanical deformation

Kabila, Laurent-désiré

2005-03-24T15:04:00.000-08:00

Congolese political leader (b. Nov. 27, 1939, Jadotville, Katanga province, Belgian Congo—confirmed dead on Jan. 18, 2001, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC; formerly Zaire]), was president of the DRC from 1997 until his death. In 1960, after studying in France and Tanzania, Kabila became a youth leader in a political party allied to Congo's first postindependence prime minister, Marxist-Maoist

Intentionality

2005-03-24T11:26:00.000-08:00

In modern literary theory, the study of authorial intention in a literary work and its corresponding relevance to textual interpretation. With the ascendancy of New Criticism after World War I, much of the debate on intentionality addressed whether information external to the text could help determine the writer's purpose and whether it was even possible or

Bruce Peninsula

2005-03-23T09:49:00.000-08:00

Also called Saugeen Peninsula, extension of the Niagara Escarpment, southeastern Ontario, Canada. The peninsula juts northwestward for 60 miles (100 km) into Lake Huron, separating that lake from Georgian Bay. After rising abruptly from its rugged east coast to heights of 200–500 feet (60–150 m) above the lake, the peninsula slopes gradually to its western coast. Although it is poor agriculturally, it is a popular vacation

Artificial Organ

2005-03-22T23:43:00.000-08:00

Any machine, device, or other material that is used to replace the functions of a faulty or missing organ or other part of the human body. Artificial organs include the artificial heart and pacemaker (qq.v.), the use of dialysis (q.v.) to perform kidney functions, and the use of artificial substitutes for missing limbs (see prosthesis).

Kildare, Thomas Fitzgerald, 10th Earl Of

2005-03-22T10:29:00.000-08:00

When his father, the Irish lord deputy Gerald, 9th Earl of Kildare, was called to London in February 1534 to answer charges of

Spain, Wildlife

2005-03-21T06:20:00.000-08:00

The proximity of Africa has given Spain more African species than are found in the other Mediterranean peninsulas, while the Pyrenean barrier and the general extent of the country explain the number of indigenous species. The European wolf and the brown bear survive in the wildest areas of the northeast. The Barbary ape is possibly indigenous but more likely an

Perceval, Spencer

2005-03-21T04:25:00.000-08:00

The second son of the 2nd Earl of Egmont, Perceval was educated at Harrow and at Trinity College, Cambridge. He was called to the bar by Lincoln's Inn in 1786 and became a king's counsel in 1796. In that same year he entered Parliament, where his rise to power was facilitated through

Drake, Alfred

2005-03-20T19:07:00.000-08:00

While a junior at Brooklyn College, Drake joined a summer company performing Gilbert and

Nerchinsk, Treaty Of

2005-03-20T06:06:00.000-08:00

(1689), peace settlement between Russia and the Manchu Chinese empire that checked Russia's eastward expansion by removing its outposts from the Amur River basin. By the treaty's terms Russia lost easy access to the Sea of Okhotsk and Far Eastern markets but secured its claim to Transbaikalia (the area east of Lake Baikal) and gained the right of passage to Beijing for its

Switzerland, The impact of the French Revolution

2005-03-20T01:05:00.000-08:00

In spite of economic expansion, Switzerland's political institutions were poorly prepared to meet the violent forces set loose by the French Revolution. The 13 cantons of the Helvetic Association had no central government; each had its own army; religious antagonisms still existed; the rural cantons were suspicious of the towns; and the small cantons were jealous

Binchois, Gilles

2005-03-19T16:14:00.000-08:00

Binchois was in Paris in 1424 serving William de la Pole, earl of Suffolk, and returned with him to Hainaut in 1425. In 1430 Binchois joined the chapel of Philip III

Slowacki, Juliusz

2005-03-17T17:47:00.000-08:00

The son of a university professor, Slowacki was educated in Wilno (now Vilnius), Lithuania, until 1829, when he joined the Department of the Treasury in Warsaw. He was absorbed with reading and writing poetry. During the November

Rye

2005-03-17T06:17:00.000-08:00

(species Secale cereale), cereal grass and its edible grain that is used to make rye bread and rye whiskey. The plant grows to a height of 1 to 2 m (4 to 6 feet) and has spikes composed of two or more spikelets bearing florets that develop one-seeded fruits, or grains. Rye cultivation probably originated in southwestern Asia about 6500 BC, migrating westward across the Balkan Peninsula

Induction

2005-03-17T05:07:00.000-08:00

Formation of b-galactosidase has been shown

Axinite

2005-03-17T04:38:00.000-08:00

Borosilicate mineral that occurs most commonly in contact metamorphic rocks and also in basic igneous rocks. Particularly beautiful crystals occur at Le Bourg d'Oisans, Isère, France, and in San Diego County, Calif., U.S. Transparent axinite of the usual clove-brown colour is sometimes cut as a gem. For chemical formula and detailed physical properties, see silicate

Mahajanga

2005-03-16T15:20:00.000-08:00

Formerly Majunga, town and major port, northwestern Madagascar. It lies on the island's northwest coast, at the mouth of the Betsiboka River, whose estuary widens there into Bombetoka Bay. The town was the capital of the 18th-century kingdom of Boina. The French occupied Mahajanga in 1895 at the beginning of their conquest of Madagascar. The town's old sector is confined mainly to the harbour

Tarakanova, Yelizaveta Alekseyevna

2005-03-16T06:35:00.000-08:00

She claimed to have been reared in St. Petersburg, but she was probably not Russian, and her origins and real name are unknown. She appeared in various cities of western Europe

Wilhelmshaven

2005-03-16T03:48:00.000-08:00

City and port, Lower Saxony Land (state), northwestern Germany, on the Jadebusen, a North Sea inlet on the coast of Ostfriesland (East Frisia). Founded in 1853 by Wilhelm I on land bought by Prussia from Oldenburg, it was given its present name in 1869. In 1937 it was united with Rüstringen and returned to Oldenburg Land. As the principal naval base for the Prussian (later German) navy, it suffered

Decorative Art

2005-03-15T22:56:00.000-08:00

Any of those arts that are concerned chiefly with the design and decoration of objects that are chiefly prized for their utility, rather than for their purely aesthetic qualities. Ceramics, glassware, basketry, jewelry, metalware, furniture, textiles, clothing, and other such goods are the objects most commonly associated with the decorative arts. Many decorative

Anomaly

2005-03-14T23:13:00.000-08:00

In astronomy, originally the nonuniform (anomalous) apparent motions of the planets. In present usage, three kinds of anomaly are distinguished to describe the position in the orbit of a planet, a satellite, or a star (in a binary system) around the centre of mass. The following text relates to the orbit of a planet. True anomaly is the angle, V, between lines drawn

Tyrannosaur

2005-03-14T22:17:00.000-08:00

Tyrannosaurus rex is the best-known

Hooton, Earnest A(lbert)

2005-03-14T01:47:00.000-08:00

American physical anthropologist who investigated human evolution and racial differentiation, classified and described human populations, and examined the relationship between personality and physical type, particularly with respect to criminal behaviour. He established Harvard University as a principal

Fiedler, Leslie A.

2005-03-12T20:04:00.000-08:00

Fiedler attended the University of Wisconsin (M.A., 1939; Ph.D., 1941), and, after service in the U.S. Naval Reserve from 1942 to 1946, he did further research at Harvard University. Thereafter he taught at many universities both

Janssen, Pierre (-jules-césar)

2005-03-12T11:14:00.000-08:00

Janssen was permanently lamed by an accident in early childhood. He studied at the University of Paris, and in 1865 he became professor

Scale Worm

2005-03-11T23:53:00.000-08:00

The somewhat arched back of the scale worm is covered with flattened pairs of overlapping scales. A

Adams, Charles Follen

2005-03-11T00:19:00.000-08:00

During the American Civil War he was wounded and taken prisoner. In 1872 he began writing humorous verses for periodicals and newspapers in a Pennsylvania German dialect. Collections of his verse are Leedle Yawcob Strauss, and Other Poems (1877) and

Mercerization

2005-03-10T18:28:00.000-08:00

The treatment consists of immersing the yarn or

Rushworth, John

2005-03-10T14:36:00.000-08:00

Rushworth studied law, perhaps at the University of Oxford (from which he received an M.A. in 1649), and in 1638 was made

Freiburg, Albert Ludwig University Of

2005-03-10T06:21:00.000-08:00

German in full Albert-ludwigs-universität Freiburg Im Breisgau, academically autonomous coeducational institution of higher learning at Freiburg im Breisgau, Ger., financially supported by the state of Baden-Württemberg. Founded in 1457 by Archduke Albrecht of Austria and confirmed by the Holy Roman emperor and the pope, the university was at first named after its founder, but at the beginning of the 19th century added “Ludwig” to the

Nomos

2005-03-10T01:47:00.000-08:00

Nomoi were also performed on the kithara

European Union

2005-03-08T21:23:00.000-08:00

On January 1, 1995, Sweden, Austria, and Finland joined the EU, leaving Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland as the only major western European countries outside the organization. Norway's government twice (1972 and 1994) attempted to join, but its voters rejected membership on each occasion. Switzerland tabled its application in the early 1990s. Norway, Iceland, and the members of the EU (along

Earth, The ancients

2005-03-08T06:14:00.000-08:00

Credit for the idea that the Earth is spherical is usually given to Pythagoras (flourished 6th century BC) and his school, who reasoned that, because the Moon and the Sun are spherical, the Earth is too. Notable among other Greek philosophers, Hipparchus (2nd century BC) and Aristotle (4th century BC) came to the same conclusion. Aristotle devoted a part of his book De caelo (On the

Paulus, Friedrich

2005-03-08T00:49:00.000-08:00

After serving in World War I and as a staff officer early in World War II, Paulus became deputy chief

Resonator

2005-03-07T10:35:00.000-08:00

Acoustical device for reinforcing sound, as the sounding board of a piano, the “belly” of a stringed instrument, the air mass of an organ pipe, and the throat, nose, and mouth cavities of a vocal animal. In addition to augmenting acoustic power, resonators may also, by altering relative intensities of overtones, change the quality of a tone. See also soundboard. The Helmholtz

Ovimbundu

2005-03-06T11:35:00.000-08:00

The ruling families entered the highlands from the northeast in the 17th century, subduing and incorporating the indigenous cattle-keeping peoples. They

Arts, Central Asian, Buddhist monastic dance

2005-03-06T00:52:00.000-08:00

The second major genre of the performing arts to develop in Central Asia was 'cham, the ritualistic dance performed in Buddhist monasteries. The origin of 'cham may well be an older form of shamanic ceremonial dance in Tibet, but centuries of evolution within a Buddhist-dominated society led to the recasting of the roles and theme of the dance in keeping with Buddhist

Propellant

2005-03-05T19:19:00.000-08:00

Any gas, liquid, or solid the expansion of which can be used to impart motion to another substance or object. In aerosol dispensers, compressed gases such as nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, and many halogenated hydrocarbons are used as propellants. The propellant may remain in gaseous form (nitrous oxide or carbon dioxide), or it may liquefy under pressure. Food products,

Kennewick

2005-03-05T16:00:00.000-08:00

City, Benton county, southeastern Washington, U.S. It lies along the Columbia River, opposite Pasco and immediately southeast of Richland. Laid out in 1892 by the Northern Pacific Irrigation Company, Kennewick is surrounded by farm country producing alfalfa, corn (maize), beans, sugar beets, grapes, and cherries. Hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River and the Hanford Works

López Portillo, José

2005-03-04T23:14:00.000-08:00

López Portillo attended the National Autonomous University of Mexico and the University of Chile. He then practiced law and later was professor of law, political science, and public administration at the National University of Mexico before

Locarno

2005-03-04T06:04:00.000-08:00

German Luggarus town, Ticino canton, southern Switzerland. It is situated at the northern end of Lago Maggiore, near the mouth of the Maggia River, west of Bellinzona. The site was settled in prehistoric times, and the town was first mentioned in 789. A possession of the dukes of Milan from 1342, it was taken by the Swiss in 1513. It became part of the newly formed Ticino canton in 1803 and, with Lugano and Bellinzona,

Gregory, Dick

2005-03-04T01:45:00.000-08:00

Byname of Richard Claxton Gregory African-American comedian, civil rights activist, and spokesman for health issues, who became nationally recognized in the 1960s for a biting brand of comedy that attacked racial prejudice. By addressing his hard-hitting satire to white audiences, he gave a comedic voice to the rising Civil Rights Movement. In the 1980s his nutrition business venture targeted

Wicksteed, Philip Henry

2005-03-03T20:14:00.000-08:00

Wicksteed, who was for some years a Unitarian minister, was a writer on literature, classics, theology, and philosophy, and his fame at the time of his death was greater in these contexts than as an economist. He wrote, among many works, Dante and

Corbeil-essonnes

2005-03-02T14:18:00.000-08:00

Town, Essonne département, Paris region, north central France, at the confluence of the Seine and Essonnes rivers, just southeast of Paris. Corbeil and Essonnes, formerly separate towns, were united in 1951. Corbeil (ancient Corbilium) has a 14th-century gate and the medieval church of Saint-Spire (originally an abbey). An independent county in the Carolingian period, it was annexed

Christensen, Harold

2005-03-02T09:49:00.000-08:00

Christensen studied dancing with the famous choreographer George Balanchine and appeared with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet (1934), Ballet Caravan (1936–40), San Francisco Opera Ballet (1942), and San

Caldecott Medal

2005-03-01T21:23:00.000-08:00

Annual prize awarded “to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.” It was established in 1938 by Frederic G. Melcher, chairman of the board of the R.R. Bowker Publishing Company, and named for the 19th-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is presented at the annual conference of the American Library Association along with the

La Mettrie, Julien Offroy De

2005-03-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

La Mettrie obtained a medical degree at Reims, studied medicine in Leiden under Hermann Boerhaave (some of whose

La Mettrie, Julien Offroy De

2005-02-28T20:34:00.000-08:00

Arrow-poison frogs are tiny, usually measuring only 1–5 cm (0.5–2 inches) long, but very conspicuous, coloured in combinations of black with bright red, yellow, pink, orange, green, and blue. They

Felton, Rebecca Ann

2005-02-28T17:46:00.000-08:00

Rebecca Latimer was graduated first in her class from the Madison Female College, Madison, Georgia, in 1852 and the following year married William H. Felton, a local physician active in liberal Democratic politics. She assisted her husband in

Brasília, Climate

2005-02-28T08:46:00.000-08:00

The climate is warm and mild with average minimum and maximum temperatures of about 57° F (14° C) and 81° F (27° C), respectively. Rainfall averages some 60 inches (1,600 mm) per year with a dry season from March to October, and humidity is generally between 40 and 80 percent (it fell to 11 percent during a drought in 1994).

Aquavit

2005-02-27T18:11:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Aquavite, or Akvavit, also called Snaps, flavoured, distilled liquor, clear to pale yellow in colour, dry in flavour, and ranging in alcohol content from about 42 to 45 percent by volume. It is distilled from a fermented potato or grain mash, redistilled in the presence of flavouring agents, filtered with charcoal, and usually bottled without aging. Various aromatic flavourings are employed, usually including

Nervous System Disease, Demyelinating disease

2005-02-25T18:38:00.000-08:00

Demyelination frequently affects the cerebellum and its connections. The primary signs of cerebellar disease are nystagmus, ataxia, and scanning speech. (See Unlocalized or multifocal disorders: Demyelinating diseases.)

Adda River

2005-02-25T15:36:00.000-08:00

Italian Fiume Adda, river, in the Lombardia (Lombardy) regione of northern Italy, issuing from small lakes in the Rhaetian Alps at 7,660 feet (2,335 m). The Adda flows southward from Bormio to Tirano, where it turns west past Sondrio to enter Lake Como near its northern end after a course of 194 miles (313 km). The river's upper course is known as the Valtellina (q.v.). Leaving Lake Como at Lecco, it crosses the Lombardy

Kochian Stage

2005-02-25T14:39:00.000-08:00

Lowermost and oldest major division of the Lower Cretaceous rocks and time in Japan (the Cretaceous Period began about 136,000,000 years ago and lasted about 71,000,000 years). The Kochian Stage precedes the Aritan Stage and is correlated with the lower portions of the Neocomian Stage, the worldwide standard lowermost Cretaceous stage. It is characterized by fossil ammonite

Fibre, Man-made

2005-02-25T10:35:00.000-08:00

Fibre whose chemical composition, structure, and properties are significantly modified during the manufacturing process. Man-made fibres are spun and woven into a huge number of consumer and industrial products, including garments such as shirts, scarves, and hosiery; home furnishings such as upholstery, carpets, and drapes; and industrial parts such as tire cord,

Earth Sciences, William Smith and faunal succession

2005-02-24T15:38:00.000-08:00

In 1683 the zoologist Martin Lister proposed to the Royal Society that a new sort of map be drawn showing the areal distribution of the different kinds of British “soiles” (vegetable soils and underlying bedrock). The work proposed by Lister was not accomplished until 132 years later, when William Smith published his Geologic Map of England and Wales with Part of

Bunner, Henry Cuyler

2005-02-24T05:36:00.000-08:00

Educated in New York City, Bunner served on the staff of the Arcadian, at 22 becoming assistant editor and later editor of Puck until his death. He developed Puck from a new, struggling comic weekly into a powerful social and political

Islam, The legacy of Muhammad

2005-02-23T17:25:00.000-08:00

From the very beginning of Islam, Muhammad had inculcated a sense of brotherhood and a bond of faith among his followers, both of which helped to develop among them a feeling of close relationship that was accentuated by their experiences of persecution as a nascent community in Mecca. The strong attachment to the tenets of the Qur'anic revelation and the conspicuous

United Airlines, Inc.

2005-02-23T07:19:00.000-08:00

United Airlines dates to 1929, when William E. Boeing (1881–1956), Frederick B. Rentschler (1887–1956), and their associates founded United Aircraft Transport Corporation, a conglomerate of both aircraft manufacturing and air transport.

Hsi K'ang

2005-02-22T15:30:00.000-08:00

Of influential parentage, Hsi received a traditional education,

Nematode

2005-02-22T13:00:00.000-08:00

Also called Roundworm, any worm of the class Nematoda (phylum Aschelminthes, though many authorities consider the Nematoda to be a distinct phylum). Nematodes are among the most abundant animals, occurring as parasites in animals and plants or as free-living forms in soil, freshwater, marine environments, and even such unusual places as vinegar and beer malts. The number of named species

Shubra Al-khaymah

2005-02-22T02:28:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Shubra El-kheima, northern suburb of Cairo, in al-Qalyubiyah muhafazah (governorate), on the east bank of the Nile, Lower Egypt. It was formerly a market town supplying Cairo with agricultural produce from the rich, alluvial delta area. In the 1820s Muhammad 'Ali, the Ottoman viceroy of Egypt, built the country's first European-type factories and schools in Shubra al-Khaymah, and it developed as an industrial

Lamarr, Hedy

2005-02-21T05:42:00.000-08:00

Austrian-born American actress (b. Nov. 9, 1913, Vienna, Austria—d. Jan. 19, 2000, Orlando, Fla.), possessed such a combination of exotic glamour and sex appeal that she was labeled the movie world's most beautiful woman. Although she appeared opposite many of Hollywood's most famous male stars, her films were not highly regarded, and she never came to be considered to have much acting ability;

Alderman

2005-02-20T21:15:00.000-08:00

Member of the legislative body of a municipal corporation in England and the United States. In Anglo-Saxon England, ealdormen, or aldermen, were high-ranking officials of the crown who exercised judicial, administrative, or military functions. Earls, the governors of shires (counties), and other persons of distinction were among those who received the title of alderman.

Hydrosphere, Distribution of precipitation

2005-02-20T19:26:00.000-08:00

Precipitation falling toward the Earth's surface may suffer several fates. It may be evaporated during its fall or after it reaches the ground surface. If the surface is covered with dense vegetation, much of the precipitation may be held on leaves and plant limbs and stems. This process is termed interception and may result in little water reaching the ground because

Quincy Plan

2005-02-19T16:13:00.000-08:00

Also called Quincy Method, experimental, progressive, child-centred approach to education introduced in 1875 in Quincy, Mass., U.S., by superintendent of schools Francis W. Parker. Parker eliminated the rigid formalities of traditional school routine, arranged interrelated subjects around a central core, and emphasized socialized activities and creative self-expression. The curriculum included

Roberts, Elizabeth Madox

2005-02-19T06:30:00.000-08:00

Educated in schools in Springfield, a village near her birthplace, Roberts taught school from 1900 to 1910. After 1910 she stayed for a time in

Sidamo

2005-02-18T18:10:00.000-08:00

Most

Nordau, Max

2005-02-18T09:20:00.000-08:00

In 1880, after serving as Viennese correspondent for a Budapest newspaper and traveling extensively in Europe, Nordau settled permanently in Paris,

Ear Disease, Presbycusis

2005-02-18T06:23:00.000-08:00

Presbycusis is the gradual decline of hearing function that results from aging. It is similar to other aging processes because it occurs at different ages and at different rates among the population. As a person ages, there is a gradual loss of cochlear hair cells, beginning at the basal end of the organ of Corti, with the result that hearing is gradually reduced and

Moiseiwitsch, Benno

2005-02-17T06:10:00.000-08:00

His early training was with Dmitry Klimov in Odessa; Moiseiwitsch won the Rubinstein Prize at the age of nine. He studied with Theodor Leschetizky in Vienna from 1904 to 1908, then joined his family in England, making

Burano Lace

2005-02-16T14:55:00.000-08:00

Lace made on the island of Burano, near Venice. Until the early 19th century, there had been a Burano lace industry producing copies of 18th-century French lace. By midcentury it was virtually extinct. When in 1872 attempts were made to revive the lace industry to provide relief to the islanders after a ruinous winter, one elderly inhabitant was found who remembered the technique.

Nsukka

2005-02-16T11:18:00.000-08:00

University town, Enugu state, southern Nigeria. It lies in the Udi Hills at an elevation of 1,300 feet (396 m). Nsukka is an agricultural-trade centre for the yams, cassava, corn (maize), taro, pigeon peas, and palm oil and kernels produced by the local Igbo (Ibo) people. Weaving is a traditional local craft. Coal deposits have been discovered east of Nsukka around Obolo, a town on the main

Platform Tennis

2005-02-16T08:07:00.000-08:00

Also called Platform Paddle Tennis, or Paddle Tennis, sport that is a combination of tennis and squash, devised in 1928 by American sports enthusiasts Fessenden Blanchard and James Cogswell at Scarsdale, N.Y. It is played on specially constructed platforms, 60 by 30 feet (18 by 9 m), surrounded by back and side walls of tightly strung wire netting 12 feet (3.7 m) high. The actual court measures 44 by 20 feet (13.4 by 6 m), and the net is 2 feet 10 inches (86 cm) high at its centre.

Naas

2005-02-15T13:13:00.000-08:00

Irish An Nás market and garrison town (urban district) and county seat of County Kildare, Ireland. Naas was one of the royal seats of the ancient province of Leinster, and St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is said to have visited it. After the Anglo-Norman invasion (12th century and following), a castle (the north moat of which survives) was built there. Naas was an important town in the

Gobi, Plant life

2005-02-14T22:24:00.000-08:00

Vegetation, as mentioned above, is sparse and rare. On the plateau and on the plains beneath the mountains, small bushlike vegetation occurs: echinochloa (a type of succulent grass found in warm regions), yellowwood bean caper, winter fat (a shrub covered with densely matted hairs), Dzungarian reaumur, nitre bush, and bushlike halophytic vegetation. In the salt marshes,

Amyl Alcohol

2005-02-14T20:21:00.000-08:00

Also called Pentyl Alcohol, any of eight organic compounds having the same molecular formula, C5H11OH, but different structures. The term is commonly applied to mixtures of these compounds, which are used as solvents for resins and oily materials and in the manufacture of other chemicals, especially amyl acetate, a solvent for nitrocellulose lacquers. Commercial amyl alcohols are colourless

Cineas

2005-02-14T17:07:00.000-08:00

Thessalian who served as chief adviser to Pyrrhus, king of Epirus in Greece. In 281 Cineas attempted, without success, to dissuade Pyrrhus from invading Italy. After Pyrrhus defeated the Romans at Heraclea in Lucania (280), Cineas was sent to Rome to negotiate a peace. According to the 2nd-century-AD Greek historian Appian, he demanded that the Romans halt their aggression

Rose, Hugh Henry, Baron Strathnairn Of Strathnairn And Of Jhansi

2005-02-14T10:49:00.000-08:00

Son of the diplomat Sir George Rose, he was educated and received his military training in Berlin and entered the British army in 1820. From 1841 to 1848 he was consul general in Syria. As British liaison officer at French headquarters during the Crimean War,

Augustine, Saint

2005-02-12T21:28:00.000-08:00

In many ways no less unusual a book than his Confessions, the Retractationes (426–427; Reconsiderations), written in the last years of his life, offers a retrospective rereading of Augustine's career. In form, the book is a catalog of his writings with comments on the circumstances of their composition and with the retractions or rectifications he would make in hindsight. (One

Indo-gangetic Plain

2005-02-12T20:50:00.000-08:00

Also called North Indian Plain, extensive north-central section of the Indian subcontinent, stretching westward from (and including) the Brahmaputra River valley and the Ganges Delta to the Indus River valley. The region contains the subcontinent's richest and most densely populated areas. The greater part of the plain is made up of alluvial soil, deposited by the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers

Algeria, The Sahara

2005-02-11T17:27:00.000-08:00

The Algerian Sahara may be divided roughly into two depressions of different elevation, separated from one another by a central north-south rise called the M'zab (Mzab). Each zone is covered by a vast sheet of sand dunes called an erg. The Great Eastern Erg (Grand Erg Oriental) and the Great Western Erg (Grand Erg Occidental), which average 1,300 to 2,000 feet (400 to 600 metres) in height, decline

Argyropoulos, John

2005-02-11T11:39:00.000-08:00

As a teacher in Constantinople, Argyropoulos had among his pupils the scholar Constantine Lascaris. Argyropoulos divided his time between Italy and Constantinople; he was in Italy (1439) for the Council of Florence and spent

Tabora

2005-02-10T21:56:00.000-08:00

Formerly Kazeh, town, west-central Tanzania. Lying on the Central Plateau at an elevation of 4,000 feet (1,200 m), it has a mean annual temperature of 73° F (23° C). The town has been the capital of the Nyamwezi people and was the major trade link between the coast and the Congo River basin prior to European colonial rule. As the junction point of the east-west (Dar es-Salaam–Ujiji) railway and the north-south railway